1994 CADILLAC ELDORADO Owners Manual

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Try to adjust your speed so you can ‘‘d&xCY through.thecurve. Maintain a
reasonable,. steady speed, Wait to .accelerate until you are out of the
curve,
and then accelerate-gently into the straightaway.
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Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering canbe more effective.than braking. For
example, you. come over a hill and, find a truck stopped
in your lane, .or a
car suddenly pulls. out from nowhere, ox a child darts out €rm betwe parked cars and stops right in front of
you. You can avoid these pxoblems
by braking.
-- if you can stop in time. But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t
room. That’s the time for evasive action
-- steering around the problem.
Your Cadillac can perform verywell
in. emergencies like these. First apply
your brakes. It
is better to remove as much speed as you can from a,
possible collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left orright
depending on the space available.
An emergency like this requires close attention and a quick decision. If
you. are holding the steering wheel’ at the recommended Pand-3’o’clock
positions, you can turn
it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly, and just aslquickly
straighten the wheel once
you have avoided-:the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always possible
is a.good
reason to practice defensive driving at all times. and wear safety belts
properly.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine OFF-ROAD RECOVERY
You may find sometime that your right wheels have dropped off the edge
of a road onto the shoulder while you’re driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the pavement, recovery
should be fairly easy. Ease
off the accelerator and then, if there is nothing - -
in the way, steer so that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement.
You
can turn the steering wheel up to 1/4 turn until the right front tire
contacts the pavement edge.
Then turn your steering wheel to go straight
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down the roadway.
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PASSING
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a two-lane highway waits
for just the right moment, accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead,
then goes back into the right lane again.
A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane highway is a
potentially dangerous move, since the passing vehicle occupies the same
lane
as oncoming traffic for several seconds. A miscalculation, an error in
judgment,
or a brief surrender to.frustration or anger can suddenly put
the passing driver face to face with the worst
of all traffic accidents -- the
head-on collision.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine So here are some tips for passing: . .
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“Drive. ahead.” Look down the road, to the sides, and to crossroads
.for situations that might affect your passing patterns.
If you have any
doubt ,whatsoever about making a successful. pass, wait for a.better
time.
.Watch- for traffic signs, pavement markings, and lines.
’If you can see .a
sign up ahead that might indicate a turn or an intersection, delay your
pass.
A broken center line usually .indicates it’s all right to pass
‘(providing the road ahead isclear.):Never cross
a solid line on your
side
of the lane or a double solid line, even if ‘the road. seems empty of
approaching traffic.
Do not :get
too closelo the,vehicle you want.to pass while you’re
awaiting- an opportunity. For .one lthmg, following too closely reduces
your
area ,of vision, especially if you’re .following a ‘larger vehicle. Also,
you-won’t have adequate space if the vehicle ahe:ad suddenly slows or
stops. Keep back a reasonable distance.
When it looks like a .chance: to ,pass
is coming. up, start to. accelerate
.but stay in the.right 1ane.and.don’t.get too dose. Time your move
so
.you wiIl.be .increasing speed as the time comes to move into the other
.lane.
If the way is clear to pass, you will have a .‘‘running, start” that
more than makes up for the distance you would lose
by .dropping back.
And
if something happensto.cause:youto cancel your pass, you need I
only slow down and drop back again and wait for another opportunity.
-If other cars are 1ined.u~ to pass a slow vehicle, wait your turn. But
take care that someone isn’t trying
to pass you as you:,pull outto pass
the slow vehicle. -Remember
to ‘glance over. your shoulder-and check
theblind spot.
Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and start your left lane
change signal before moving.out
of the right .lane to pass,. When you
:are far:enough ahead
of ,the passed vehicle to see its front in. your
inside mirror, activate your right. lane change signal
and move back I
into the right lane. (Remember that your right outside mirror is
convex.
The vehicle you just passed may seem to be farther away from
you than itreally is.)
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on two-lane roads.
Reconsider before passing the next vehicle.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly. Even though the
brake lights are not flashing, it may be slowing down or starting to
turn.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the following driver to get
ahead
of you. Perhaps you can ease a little to the right.
LOSS OF CONTROL
Let’s review what driving experts say about what happens whe\
n the three
control systems (brakes, steering and acceleration) don’t ha\
ve enough
friction where the tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer and constantly seek
an escape route or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle. Defensive drivers avoid
most skids by taking reasonable care suited to existing conditions, and by
not “overdriving” those conditions. But skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond
to your Cadillac’s three control
systems. In the braking skid your wheels aren’t rolling.
In the steering or
cornering skid, too much speed or steering
in a curve causes tires to slip
and lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid too much throttle
causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off the accelerator
pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the accelerator pedal and
quickly steer the way you want the vehicle
to go. If you start steering
quickly enough, your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced
when water, snow, ice, gravel, or other
material is on the road. For safety, you’ll want
to slow down .md adjust
your driving
to these conditions. It is important to slow dowr on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and vehicle control
more limited.
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While driving on a surface with redueed tractio.n, try your. best to avoid
sudden steering, acceleration, or braking (hciuding engine braking by
shifting to a lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause
the tires to
slide.
You may not realize the surface is slippery until your vehicle is
skidding. Learn to recognize warning clues
-- such as enough water, ice or
packed snow on the road to make a "mirrored surface"
-- and slow down
when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock braking system
(ABS) helps avoid only the
braking skid.
DMNG ATNIGHT
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving. One reason is that
some drivers are likely to be impaired
-- by alcohol or drugs, with night
vision problems, or by fatigue.
Here are some tips on night driving.
Drive defensively.
0 Don't drink and drive.
0 Adjust your inside reamew mirror to reduce the glare from headlights
behind you.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Since you can’t see as well, you may need to slow down and keep more
space between
you and other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your headlights ca\
n light
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place and rest.
up only
so much road ahead.
Night Vision
No one
can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as we get older
these differences increase.
A 50-year-old driver may require at least twice
as much light to see the same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your night vision. For
example,
if you spend the day in bright sunshine you are wise to wear
sunglasses. Your eyes
will have less trouble adjusting to night. But if
you’re driving, don’t wear sunglasses at night. They may cut down on
glare from headlights, but they also make
a lot of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching lights. It can take a
second or
two, or even several seconds, for your eyes to readjust to the
dark, When you are faced with severe glare (as from a driver who doesn’t
lower the high beams, or a vehicle
with misaimed headlights), slow down
a little. Avoid staring directly into
the approaching lights.
Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle clean
-- inside and
out. Glare at night is made much worse by dirt on the glass. Even the
inside of the glass can build up a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and flash more than clean glass would, making the pupils of
your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlights light up far less
of a roadway when you
are in a turn or curve. Keep your eyes moving; that way, it’s easier to pick
out dimly lighted objects. Just as your headlights should be checked
regularly for proper aim,
so should your eyes be examined regularly.
Some drivers suffer from night blindness
-- the inability to see in dim light
-- and aren’t even aware of it.
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Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet road you can’t
stop, accelerate or turn as well because your tire-to-road traction isn’t .as
good as on dry roads. And,
if your tires don’t have much tread left, you’ll
get even less traction. It’s always wise to go slower and be cautious
if rain
starts to fall while you are driving. The surface may get wet suddenly
when your reflexes are tuned for driving on dry pavement.
The heavier the rain, the ha&r it is to see. ,Even if your windshield. wiper
blades are ‘in good shape, a heavy rain can make it harder to see road
signs and traffic signals, pavement markings, the edge
of the road, and
even people walking.
It’s
wise to. keep yourwiping -equipment,in.good shape ,and keep your
windshield washer tank filled. Replace your windshield wiper inserts
when they show signs
of streaking or missing areas on the windshield, or
when strips of rubber start
to separate from the inserts.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Driving too fast through large water puddles or even going through some
car washes can cause problems,
too. The water may affect your brakes.
Try to avoid puddles. But if you can't, try to slow down before you hit
them.
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